


xanthos

by 980517



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Art Student Huang Ren Jun, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Lee Jeno Are Best Friends, M/M, Model Lee Jeno, Model Na Jaemin, please be patient with jeno he is trying his Best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23772124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/980517/pseuds/980517
Summary: “Oh, trust me, we know,” Renjun smiles, a bit of mirth lacing his voice. “We all were in the same year, but we weren’t in the same classes.” Jeno wishes he could remember them. Maybe that way things could be different. “It was hard to not notice you back then. Your face was, and still is everywhere.”Jeno flushes at that. He has been in the spotlight ever since he was a child, shooting his first CF for a brand of milk at the tender age of five. Things only skyrocketed from there, landing him many job opportunities as a model, invitations to countless variety shows, even some minor roles in popular dramas. He thought that fame would be fleeting, but he is still here, and only going up, as Doyoung often says.“We can get to know each other now if you’d like,” he offers.Renjun gives him a blinding smile. “I think both Jaemin and I would like that, very much so”.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 12
Kudos: 132
Collections: JenoZine Volume 2





	xanthos

**Author's Note:**

> happiest of birthdays to my dearest boy, jeno! ^^
> 
> thank you to my friend mimi for being my moral support through the whole process of writing this baby, i love u <3
> 
> also thank you to the prompter! i think i strayed a bit too far from the original premise of the prompt, but without your initial idea, this work wouldn't be here today!

It’s on Monday morning when Jeno is dragged by Doyoung _(with no previous notice, might he add)_ out of his apartment to the office at eight am, a few hours to spare before his photoshoot, to discuss a new project that his manager was thrilled about.

Upon arriving at the office in all of his undignified glory, a polo shirt and jeans making him look somewhat decent, he gets to the fifth floor of the building, Doyoung walking before him and opening the door to the meeting room. He is greeted by the smell of coffee and a small table filled with pastries (God bless whoever prepared the snacks today because he hasn’t had the time to have breakfast yet) and Jaehyun, one of the companies creative directors sitting on the chair located at the head of the table, eyeing his laptop before lifting his head up to acknowledge their presence in the room, offering both of them a nod.

“Good morning, Jeno, Doyoung,” he offers while getting up to turn on the projector hanging over the table. He looks at the door and checks his watch, a disapproving frown adorning his features. He knows Jaehyun doesn’t condone tardiness, but he can’t say that whoever they are set to meet is late either, so he just takes it as the brown-haired being dramatic.

He shrugs, and walks around the table, grabs a coffee and a cookie before sitting himself right next to Doyoung. “Will you finally tell me what the project is about? Drop a little sneak peek before Mr. Jung right here gives me all of the details, hyungie?” he says in what he hopes is a cute tone, baiting the older men into spilling some of the information he has been dying to know ever since he got into the car earlier in the day.

Doyoung meets his gaze before shaking his head no, “You can wait a bit longer, Jeno. I have a feeling that this project is going to be good for you.” Jeno whines at the implication of having to work with a new person and Doyoung pats his head.

“Where is the eternally patient Jeno Lee we all know and love, huh? Got tired of being the perfect boy?” Jaehyun laughs, amused at Jeno’s reaction. He honest to God, pouts, and looks at him and just shrinks on his seat.

“You know I am just curious, _hyungie,_ ” he says, a hint of another whine in his voice. Both Doyoung and Jaehyun laugh once again and Jeno decides that he won’t ask anything else. He keeps sipping on his coffee and twisting around in his chair, drowning up the sound of Jaehyun and Doyoung chattering cheerfully on the background.

He’s almost done eating when he hears the door to the meeting room open and twists, again, on his chair to see a figure enter the room. His hair is blonde, falling into his eyes and the side of his face, sickeningly sweet smile in his face and Jeno turns back around quickly, feeling his face flush. He is aware that everyone in the industry is meant to be attractive; he is aware that he wouldn’t be a model himself if he didn’t look the part. Neither is he prone to bursts of insecurity but… is he supposed to work with someone that looks like that for an extended period of time? He thinks not.

"Good morning everyone!".

Good God, Buddha, any deity willing to _listen._ Jeno wants to die. No one should be allowed to sound, or look, that good this early. Especially if it’s a Monday morning.

"We were waiting for you! Sit down," Jaehyun gestures to the other seat at his side, and Jeno peeks at him out of the corner of his eyes as Jaemin settles down on the chair. Doyoung seems to sense Jeno’s inner turmoil and proceeds to shoot him a warning glance. "This is Na Jaemin, the one we're thinking of pairing you up with for this project."

Jaemin's eyes widen and he turns to Jeno, recognition painting his features, standing up and body folding itself into a deep bow. "It's an honor to meet you, _Jeno sunbaenim_ ," he says and Jeno startles, getting up too, and offering him a slight bow himself.

"Oh, yes, it’s nice to meet you too," he says, surprised. Jeno rarely gets treated with this much respect, especially by colleagues, who more often than not tend to treat him as his friend and not as his senior. "Please — sit down, it's okay, there’s no need to be so formal."

Jaemin straightens, greeting him with a wide smile. "It's an honor, _sunbae,_ " he says sweetly. "I'll work hard."

Jeno knows that there is no point in trying to hide the flush adorning his cheeks that seem to be a permanent feat ever since the other boy walked into the office. He mutters a string of “I’ll do well too, yes” before settling into his chair again.

 _Fuck pretty boys,_ really. Jeno tries not to dwell so much on what he is feeling already. He’ll acknowledge it once he is settled down on the couch of his apartment. Preferably with a bottle of wine and Donghyuck, his roommate and best friend, keeping him company.

He hears Jaehyun clear his throat, an obvious smile threatening to split his face in two. “It’s good to see you guys getting along so well already.”

Doyoung, never letting a good chance to clown Jeno, says sunnily, “It’s even better that you guys are the same age. I think it’ll make things easier for everyone involved.”

Jaehyun actually laughs this time around, Doyoung following behind him and Jeno sneaks another glance towards Jaemin’s way. He sees the other boy smiling, he guesses it’s because of the nerves. Jaehyun claps his hand and apologizes before continuing, “Moving on onto the specifics…”

Jeno knows it’s going to be a long day.

Jeno ends up being correct and by a stretch because it ends up being a long few days instead of just one and he is fed up.

He is done with another shoot, finally free from the ridiculous amount of clothes and makeup he was put into when he grabs his phone to call Donghyuck. He was serious about wanting to spend some quality time with him (and a good bottle of cheap wine) but their schedules don’t seem to align no matter how much wishes upon it. It’s Friday after all, it won’t hurt to ask him to hang out.

The other boy picks up right after the third ring.

“Hello, yes, to what do I owe the honor of Lee Jeno calling me right after my last class of the day?” Donghyuck says, voice full of mirth. He can’t help but laugh at his friend’s antics.

“Can’t a guy call his best friend?” he replies, still sounding amused. He hears shuffling and hears Donghyuck muttering a goodbye! so he guesses he is still in university.

“You only call me when you need something. What’s the matter?”. Damned Hyuck and his inherent ability to tell whenever Jeno is going through something. It’s both a blessing and a curse.

“Can you grab some wine on your way to the apartment? Dinner is on me, I promise” he grabs his backpack as he sees Doyoung approaching him and follows him to the elevator. He decides to settle in the corner as it fills up with some of the staff from the photoshoot get on. He hears through the speakers a door closing and some more rustling before Donghyuck speaks again.

“Can’t believe you are still scared of your manager. Can’t even ask him to stop at the convenience store to pick up some booze on the way home,” he mumbles an I’m not scared of him, though which he is pretty sure Donghyuck doesn’t hear. “Tell you what,” he continues “My friends and I are going out for drinks at that one bar you really like. You good to go?”

Using the excuse of it being the weekend hasn’t stopped the company to give him schedules during those two sacred days, but he is lucky this time because Doyoung told him earlier that he can rest up for a few days, so thankfully he won’t have to reject Donghyuck’s offer. They end up agreeing on getting ready together and even on the ride back he can’t help but feel as if he is buzzing with energy when he opens the door to the apartment.

He is so glad to find out that he got home before Donghyuck. That way he can safely put on his going out playlist on full volume without getting yelled at. He hops into the shower and lets the water clear the rests of makeup stuck onto his face and body. The night is young and the alcohol will help him clear his mind from the unnecessary stress he’s been having lately.

Deeming that spending twenty minutes in the shower was more than enough he exits the bathroom and makes his way towards his bedroom to pick out his outfit for the night.

The knowledge that most of Donghyuck’s friends are painfully attractive only makes him feel even more excited for his night out. It’s the distraction that he needs to forget how shaken he has been feeling ever since meeting Jaemin earlier in the week. He won’t even deny that he spent one of his breaks doing some research on the younger; he saw some of his works and there is no use in denying that Na Jaemin is nothing short of gorgeous, a natural in front of the camera. He can see why Jaehyun decided to pair them up for the project and why Doyoung was adamant about it being a good opportunity for him.

Even so, he can see right through the older men’s actions, and he knows their intentions aren’t only landing him a nice gig. They are trying to set them up together and that’s not how things work. At least not in Jeno’s life.

Jeno gets a break from his thoughts when he hears the front door getting unlocked, followed by Donghyuck’s voice. “Time to get you wasted, Lee Jeno!”. He hears him dump his backpack somewhere on the living room’s floor and in any other day he would whine about him being messy, but not today. Hyuck’s got a free pass to do what he wants today and so does he.

“Please tell me you are not considering to wear one of your preppy outfits,” Donghyuck says, exasperated, as soon as he reaches Jeno’s bedroom. “One would think that you being a model would make you a fashionable dude, but you put comfort over anything else.”

Jeno sits on his bed faced by Donghyuck’s back. The boy is rummaging around his closet and even if he can’t see his face, he is disapproving of half of its content. “I guess I can let you pick my outfit for once. You know I trust you, Hyuckie.”

“As you should!” he exclaims before letting out a soft hum. “I think this will do,” he picks out a black t-shirt, instructing Jeno to roll the sleeves up once he puts it on and a pair of white slacks from the closet, throwing it in Jeno’s direction. “I am going to take a shower and then we can leave. An hour tops,” he turns around to leave before giving Jeno a once over, “And whatever has got you troubled, we can talk about it later.”

“Are you offering?”

“I am warning you” Donghyuck affirms.

They end up leaving almost two hours later because as Jeno promised, dinner is on him, so he ordered some takeout from Donghyuck’s favorite place right after getting dressed.

They later found some beer inside their fridge and ultimately decide to drink them, sitting on the couch and falling into mindless conversation after eating.

Feeling slightly buzzed and a bit careless is just what they need in this moment of their lives. Donghyuck is on his last semester of college and finishing up his thesis that has been nothing but a pain in the ass for him, and Jeno… he just doesn’t have many opportunities to let loose like this.

If you were to ask him, he is going to deny that he is doing this to forget about a certain someone’s presence living in his brain rent-free. Even if it’s just for one night. He’ll figure things out later, as Donghyuck said.

The bar they go to is one located near Donghyuck’s university. It’s mostly frequented by students and Jeno loves it. He gets a false sentiment of normalcy whenever he is there, mingling among people his age that won’t judge him based on how many covers he’s gotten so far in his career.

They find Yukhei, the guy Donghyuck has been seeing for a while and another boy, and for the second time in the span of a few days, Jeno feels breathless just by looking at one person for the first time.

He isn’t one to wax poetics but Jesus, fuck. The boy’s skin glows and his eyes sparkle, and Jeno, a mere mortal, can’t deny that the boy’s beauty is out of this world. Dirty blonde hair adorns his head, clothes hanging loose from his lithe frame. He would even dare to say that the boy looks delicate, the sort of pretty that Jeno admires with reticence, knowing that it’d never belong to him.

Both of the figures occupying the booth get up to greet them. Heaven must have some mercy on Jeno because he is enveloped by Yukhei in a hug right after he tells him how glad he is to see him around. His big frame offers him some very much needed comfort, a trait that the boy seemed to be born with and Jeno can’t help but melt into the embrace.

Much to his dismay, Yukhei lets him go in favor of greeting Donghyuck with a kiss. Jeno scrunches up his nose at the sight and Donghyuck sticks his tongue out at him once they part.

“Hey, Jeno, this is Renjun,” Yukhei finally introduces him and even his name is pretty. God really is unfair, huh?

Renjun extends his hand for Jeno to shake it, and he does just that. “It’s nice to meet you.” He offers him an easy smile and the other boy returns the gesture.

They fall into quiet conversation after that, and Jeno, for the first time in years, feels a bit awkward. He catches the other boy eyeing him curiously from time to time and he feels as if he is fifteen again, playing the flirting game.

The odds seem to not favor Jeno even a bit because from the corner of his eyes he notices that none other than Na Jaemin is making his way towards them, a tray of shots in his hand, which he drops onto the table once he reaches it, not without offering Jeno a once over… why isn’t the ground swallowing him whole?

“Sunbaenim, fancy to meet you here,” Jaemin says before wrapping an arm around the boy whose name he doesn’t know yet.

“I think I asked you to drop the formalities around me, Jaemin,” Jeno says, reminding himself that he is a whole twenty-two year old, an adult. He can handle the situation, no matter how shaken he is by it. He feels Donghyuck’s eyes scrutinizing him and he fights to urge to curl into himself.

He hates how perceptive Hyuck can be.

“Have you met before?” Donghyuck decides to ask, returning a lazy smile from Yukhei’s side and Jeno prays for him to not pull anything. If anything, Jeno has to make him the same question. It’s a bit out of character from Donghyuck to not mention he is friends with people like Jaemin.

Jaemin hums as some kind of affirmation before urging all of them to pick up a shot glass from the tray and Jeno hurries to do so because only he knows how much he needs it. “We have been paired by the company to model for a new campaign an upcoming clothing brand,” he explains. “Never thought I would get the honor to meet him out of work hours.”

He hears Donghyuck mumble an I see. If he tried hard enough, he could picture the gears inside his head turning and in all honesty, a plotting Donghyuck is never a good thing.

Jeno sits opposite to Yukhei, Renjun, and Jaemin, accompanied by Donghyuck on his side of the booth.

Soon after that, he realizes that he might be third-wheeling not only one but two couples.

As the table falls into chatter again, Jeno listens attentively to everyone, pitching in his two cents every time he is addressed in the conversation.

He is too focused on examining the interactions between the two boys in front of him. He sees Jaemin putting his hand on Renjun’s thigh, the latter scooting a bit closer to him whenever he does that. Little touches that seem a bit too intimate for him to watch

Feeling as if he is intruding when Renjun finally catches him looking at them, he decides it’s time for him to grab a new round of drinks. He gets up, letting everyone know he is heading towards the bar and makes a mental list of the orders from every person in the booth. He arrives at the bar, reciting the order to the bartender who makes an attempt to mask their surprise at seeing Jeno in the place, he snickers and offers them a smile, letting himself rest his arms on top of the countertop once they turn around to prepare his drinks. He is too focused on trying to read the labels of the bottles in front of him to see the person settling right next to him.

“I think it’s a bit insulting that you don’t remember me, Lee Jeno,” Renjun’s presence alone makes him look like a giant, even when at the short distance that is currently separating them makes the size difference between them palpable.

He looks at Renjun, really looks at him. He is pretty sure he would remember a face like that if he had seen it before, and he tells Renjun just that. Despite his small frame, Renjun’s laugh is loud. He claps his hand in front of him and the mere force of it makes him throw his head back.

Renjun manages to calm down before looking back at Jeno. “Thank you for that, though,” he rests his back on the countertop. “We went to high school together. Jaemin, you and I,” he clarifies.

Paint him surprised, because as much as Jeno tries to look back he can’t remember. “How do you guys remember that?” confusion laces his voice. “High school is a bit of a blur to me. I barely attended any classes”.

“Oh, trust me, we know,” Renjun smiles, a bit of mirth lacing his voice. “We all were in the same year, but we weren’t in the same classes.” Jeno wishes he could remember them. Maybe that way things could be different. “It was hard to not notice you back then. Your face was, and still is everywhere.”

Jeno flushes at that. He has been in the spotlight ever since he was a child, shooting his first CF for a brand of milk at the tender age of five. Things only skyrocketed from there, landing him many job opportunities as a model, invitations to countless variety shows, even some minor roles in popular dramas. He thought that fame would be fleeting, but he is still here, and only going up, as Doyoung often says.

“We can get to know each other now if you’d like,” he offers.

Renjun gives him a blinding smile. “I think both Jaemin and I would like that, very much so”. He sees Renjun pull his lower lip into his mouth and he looks so incredibly pretty. Jeno has to avert his eyes away before he can blame the alcohol for doing something stupid, like kissing him silly right then and there.

It’s only after a few beats that the implications of Renjun’s words hit him, and even if the answer hurts, he can’t let the doubt eat his brain away. “Are you guys dating?” he questions, voice barely above a whisper. And even under the low light of the bar, he can see the blush dusting Renjun’s cheeks, and that’s enough of an answer for him.

Renjun opens his mouth to speak up, but the bartender calls his name, informing him that their drinks are ready and Jeno has never been more glad for an interruption. He thanks them and makes sure to leave a nice tip, before grabbing a part of the drinks and walking back towards their booth, Renjun following close behind him.

He settles in his seat next to Donghyuck and takes a sip of his rum and coke.

From the corner of his eye, he sees Renjun whispering something to Jaemin, and right then and there, he lets himself wonder if, by any wild chance, there's a place for him right next to them.

Jeno both loves and hates the first months of the year.

The weather is on that limbo in between winter and spring, when some days are incredibly cold and in some faithful days, the weather is nice enough to let you take a stroll at the park, the sun peeking out from the clouds, bathing the surroundings in soft yellow light.

It’s also during these months when he gets swamped by work to the point he doesn’t have time to even think. Designers are launching new collections left and right, magazines are testing out new features. New year’s resolution and shit.

He gets a day off after working for three weeks non-stop, and any sane person would use it to sleep in and laze around. But the habit of waking up early is so far drilled into his bones that he is awake by seven am, getting ready to make his way to the gym in the building.

His phone rings, letting him know his mom is calling. He picks up the call in a heartbeat.

“Hello?” he sits on the bed, putting on his shoes. He hears faint meowing in the background and he just knows his mom is sitting on the porch of his childhood home, surrounded by their cats and now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t seen them in a while. He should pay them (and his mom) a visit soon.

“Jeno, darling!” his mom chirps. Even imagining her smile brings him a newfound sense of joy. He really should try to call her more often. “How’s my superstar?” she asks. He is lucky Donghyuck is still sleeping because by his face alone the younger would have so much fun teasing him. He is shy and his mom is way too enthusiastic.

“Things have been okay, mom,” he replies. He doesn’t have to get into much detail about what he has been doing because he texted her a few days ago with his upcoming schedules. “How are you? How are the cats?” he hears his mom laugh. He can’t help but miss them too.

“We are okay, you don’t have to worry about us,” and he is aware of that. There isn’t a more strong and capable woman than her. “Just wanted to hear your voice, darling. I have missed you terribly. When are you coming home?” her voice sounds softer and oh, how he wishes to be next to her right now.

“You should ask Doyoung hyung to free up some space in my agenda,” he says, voice coming out a bit higher than intended. He knows they text each other often. “Or I could arrange something to have you here for a few days, accompany me to set so the staff can swoon over such a pretty lady. Bet you could even get love calls from some companies if they ever laid eyes on you,” he teases.

“You think so?” she says, voice coy. “You did inherit my best traits. I could ruin your career.”

“And I wouldn’t mind if you do,” he replies, words dripping with honesty.

“Oh, darling. I worry about you sometimes, you know?” she confesses, and Jeno, still a bit bleary-eyed isn’t ready for this conversation. He knows that she doesn’t mean it in the I worry about you skipping your meals because she has taught him better than that. She’ll go down the emotional road, and Jeno’s inherent emotional constipation is acting up.

“And why’s that?” he decides to afront the situation. He can deal with it, or so he thinks.

“I just want you to be happy,” she lets out a sigh before continuing, “I know you’ll tell me you are fine, but all you do is work. Doyoung called me the other day and told me you don’t even go out with Donghyuck as much as you used to,” it’s now his turn to sigh.

“And I am okay with that, mom. I know how to take care of myself” he defends himself. “I am not a teenager anymore, I won’t do something stupid like overworking myself and you know that.”

“I know you won’t, Jeno,” she says, voice stern. He knows she means well but he is not lying. He is fine as it is. It’s nonsensical that she would think he isn’t. “I just want you to live a little. To put yourself before others. Put your wants and needs first. I don’t worry about you and your work ethic because I know you won’t stretch yourself thin because of it, but…” her voice trails off and even if he wants to, he suppresses the need to snap at her. He is not fifteen anymore, he feels okay. Great even. He is in a good place right now.

“But?” he inquires.

“You’ve always been a good kid, son, but sometimes I wish you didn’t think as much as you do. I’m not saying you should live life recklessly, but more often than not I wish that you would act a bit more on impulse than by logic alone,” he is so glad that she can’t see him right now because her words affected him in ways other things couldn’t.

She is so right that it pains him.

Even if he has tried to feign innocence, he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Jaemin and Renjun. He has disassembled and rebuilt their interactions with him in his head, overanalyzing every single word they have exchanged so far, and the gremlin inside his brain has been preventing him from taking the risk and actually getting to know the other two.

He’s been dying to unpack whatever lays under the mask of their pretty smiles and shiny eyes that seem to hold the whole damn milky way in their pupils.

He should let his heart decide for him once, right?

“I think you are right, mom. Thank you” and oh, poor Jeno. He feels so small, bared to his very core.

“I love you, darling,” she says and he swears he can hear a hint of sadness in her voice. “Call me later?”

Feeling nostalgic, and maybe a bit homesick, he shakes his head no, even if she can actually see him. “Are you busy? Can we facetime?” he hears his mom laughing, and maybe he sounds as small as he sounds.

“For you? Never. Hurry up! The kids can’t wait to see your handsome face,” voice back to being chirpy and playful. He laughs as he takes off his shoes and settles on his bed, back resting against the frame as he tells her he’ll be hanging up now.

Maybe routines are meant to be broken.

Maybe seeing his mom’s face will ease his heart little, even if just for a bit.

Things will be okay soon, right?

Even when his mom’s words have been ringing nonstop inside his head, Jeno must admit defeat and say he’s been acting like a coward, which is unlike him.

Doyoung informed him a few days back that his shoot with Jaemin is scheduled for tomorrow and ever since then he has been trying to convince himself that he’s absolutely got this. That they can work together and remain professional around each other.

He came to terms with the fact that he is attracted to not only Jaemin but also Renjun. At first, he thought it was mere curiosity, after all, during their meeting at the bar he found out that they weren’t only beautiful, but also smart and talented.

The day they met at the bar, after Jeno got over the fact that Jaemin and Renjun are in a relationship with each other, the conversation between the three of them got easy. And even if he was the outsider, they never made him feel like he was one. He got roped into their banter, and even their not–so–subtle flirting. By the end of the night, he was feeling positively elated, leaving the place with both of their phone numbers in his phone and an easy heart.

They talk every day in the group chat they created. Jaemin sends badly taken selfies of him every time he’s dolled up for a new schedule and words of encouragement packed with a never-ending streak of emojis.

Renjun mostly updates them about this super-secret project he has been working on for a while. And Jeno just reads them all, washing the two boys bicker back and forth, making sure to stop them whenever things got too heated.

Jeno has never been this infatuated before, and he would have never guessed that his heart would be this foolish and go crazy not for one but two boys that already are in a happy relationship with each other at that.

It’s confusing at its best.

Jeno knows what’s been said. Only fools fall.

Yet, he doesn’t think that falling for them is a foolish thing.

The day of the shoot with Jaemin dawns bright and early, leaving him to fidget with the straw of his coffee in the seat of the car, trying (and failing) to convince himself that it won’t be that bad.

By the time he arrives at the studio, Doyoung in tow, he is one-hundred percent _(ha)_ sure that he’ll breeze through this day, coming out the other end completely unscathed.

That is until he enters the freezing set to find Jaemin wearing some wide-legged pants, a blazer barely covering his naked torso, a pretty shimmer adorning his cheekbones, giving the camera his best sultry look.

It’s one thing to get used to seeing Jaemin’s making silly face through his phone screen, and another one to seeing him on the flesh, looking like he came straight out from Jeno’s wet dreams.

“Nope, I can’t do this” he mumbles and turns around, ready to bolt, only to be caught by Doyoung by the hood of his sweater. Jeno whines and looks at his manager.

“You are going to go in there, get your makeup done and do your job” he instructs, gaze sharp, walking him towards the direction of his stylists, Taeyong and Yuta. “You’ll have time to panic about pretty boy later.”

“Hyung, you are the worst,” he says, a petulant pout on his face as he settles on his chair. Taeyong coming up from behind and starting on his hair while Yuta grins in the most devilish way and boy, he hates it here.

“Don’t worry Jen, Taeyong and I will make you look ten times better than pretty boy over there,” he laughs as he applies some primer onto his skin, Taeyong snickering while combing his hair.

“He’ll be swooning over you and no the other way around,” Taeyong chips in and Jeno tries to glare at him through the mirror behind him. "Even though it is a little late for that."

“I hope you guys know that I can get you fired anytime,” he murmurs and the other three just erupt into laughter again, Doyoung goes as hard as clapping before they are asked to tone it down by the photographer.

“We know, and you won’t,” Doyoung says once he’s calmed down. “You love us a bit too much to take such drastic measures.”

Jeno closes his eyes. He wishes he could retort, but at the end of the day, Doyoung ends up being right.

“Jeno-ssi”, Jaemin greets him, voice dripping with honey. The makeup he is wearing is so sparkly, highlighting every single one of his features. Looking down, he notices that the shimmer extends all the way to his chest and abs and Jeno swallows hard.

“Jaemin-ssi,” he says warily as he tries to not flinch back because Jaemin only gets closer with each breath he takes.

The photographer, a tall man that could be a model himself called Johnny calls for both of them. “Just act natural around each other. All I care about is that you guys make the clothes look good.”

Jeno opts for a safe bet and stands next to Jaemin. He can tell he is taller than the other boy by an inch and he feels some kind of newfound vigor, feeling at advantage for once.

However, he isn’t prepared for Jaemin to rest his back against his side, feeling the curve of his backside, ass included, touching his arm. Jeno flushes and subtly removes his hand from where it is placed, bringing it towards his chin. Jaemin snickers and turn around, looking at Jeno through his eyelashes. “Relax, the point is for us to look natural and you are as _stiff as a stick._ "

Whatever Jaemin is trying to do seems to ignite something within Jeno. _Stiff?_ He has been doing this for _years_. A newbie won’t tell him what to do. He lets his left arm rest on top of Jaemin’s shoulder, bringing him closer to his body, resting his head on top of his. “Is this okay?” Jeno asks, polite as always.

Jaemin bites his lip, and the glint on his eyes lets Jeno know he is doing it to stop himself from laughing. “It is. I’ll make sure to scream in your ear if you go too far,” he whispers and Jeno swallows hard, opting for going back to looking at the camera.

Soon enough, Johnny deems having enough pictures to work with and tells them to go rest up before they prepare the set for the next few takes. Jaemin detaches himself from Jeno’s side and he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He makes his way towards Taeyong, getting rid of the blazer he is wearing in favor to walk around with the shirt and pants he was put into.

He's never been a fan of the snacks he is offered, especially when he knows that after eating any of them he might get bloated. But due to how anxious he was feeling about today, he forgot to pack some of his own.

Might as well suck it up and hunt down the break room to see if he can find something substantial on the snack table in the break room he was shown earlier.

The set isn't exactly the biggest, but the walk towards the break room feels longer than it should. When he finally finds it, he is greeted by the sigh of Jaemin and Renjun talking in hushed tones.

How long has Renjun been in here?

His brain kind of short-circuits and he leaves the room hoping that none of them noticed him and makes his way back to the set. He can eat later, even if his stomach rumbles in protest.

Once he arrives, he finds Yuta typing away on his phone and he settles on his chair, Yuta looks up from his phone and then eyes him curiously.

“I thought you were going to eat something before the next set, kid,” he says as he grabs another chair to sit next to him.

“There weren’t any good snacks in there,” he mumbles, fumbling with one of Yuta’s makeup brushes. As expected, he doesn’t buy Jeno’s lie and shoots him a pointed look.

“What’s got you looking like a kicked puppy?” Yuta asks, and for once, Jeno lets himself talk about it. Yuta might have been working with him for the better part of his career, but even so, his presence in his life has always been on the passive side of things. Jeno feels free to open up around him because Yuta doesn't know how deep his feeling run.

“Jaemin is in the break room with his boyfriend. I didn’t want to intrude,” he says, eyes cast down.

He really doesn’t know why he is hellbent in avoiding the other two. Even if he has come to terms with the fact that he likes them and that there is this tiny possibility of them liking him back, it doesn’t stop feeling like it is a wrong thing. He feels a bit dumb.

“Do you want me to let you in a little secret?” Jeno remains silent and Yuta takes that as his cue to continue. “I saw Jaemin’s boyfriend talking to Doyoung earlier. He told us that he was asking him what would be a good thing to get you for lunch.”

Jeno can’t mask his surprise and at his incredulity, Yuta puts a hand on his shoulder, a soft smile on his lips. “You should go and talk to them. I think they are a bit fond of you.”

“Do you really think so, hyung?” Jeno asks, and through the mirror, he can see Jaemin and Renjun exiting the break room and his anxiety kind of skyrockets. Would they try to approach him?

“Why would I lie to you about something like that, Jeno-ya?” he says, sincere. Jeno knows that, but he still finds it hard to believe. “I know you didn't ask for any advice but — my take on this is that you should stop running away from them. I really don’t know what’s going between you three, but it’d be nice if you just let yourself feel instead of closing yourself off to others. Let people in."

Yuta gets up from his seat, putting his hands inside his pockets. "This whole emotional talk made me hungry now, this why I prefer teasing you."

"I barely even talked. You just gave me advice which I didn't ask for" Jeno remarks. "Thank you, by the way."

Yuta shrugs. "It made you think, didn't it?" he asks, voice laced with mirth. "You can thank me later by convincing Jaehyun to talk to management about giving me a juicier paycheck," he says as he makes his way towards what he supposes is the break room, leaving him to his own devices.

He thinks about following him and establishing a conversation with both Jaemin and Renjun but ultimately decides against it.

He might have a better idea.

During his free time, Jeno tries to come up with a plan to ask Renjun and Jaemin to at least, hang out with him.

He decides that he will take baby steps. Gain their trust first, and hope that in the end, they'll like him back.

Jeno runs into Jaemin right after finishing up a meeting at the office and he takes his chances.

"Jaemin!" he calls him with a cheery tone. The other boy is sitting on the reception, looking up when he hears his name being called. He gets up and Jeno waves his hand as he makes his way towards him.

"Good morning, Jeno-ssi" Jaemin greets him and Jeno doesn't even try to mask the whine that leaves his mouth.

"We've known each other for weeks, Jaemin, _please_ — I am begging you to drop the formalities around me."

Jaemin laughs inhibited. He looks a bit embarrassed by Jeno's plea.

"We are friends. I thought we were on the same page, Jaemin-ah," Jeno can't help but tease further and Jaemin's eyes roll at his words.

"Are we really? You've kept your walls a tad bit high for us to reach," Jaemin retorts.

Jeno sighs before replying. "I know, and I want to fix that."

He can't help but feel a bit like an _ass_ about his actions in the past. He didn't mean to make him, _them_ , feel as if he is someone unattainable.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" he can feel some kind of petulance in Jaemin's tone, but the feigns ignorance in peace's favor.

"We could get some coffee if you'd like," at the mention of the beverage Jaemin seems to perk up. "I asked Donghyuck about Renjun's schedule and he said that he should be free in around an hour. We can pick him up on our way," he offers as an afterthought, and by Jaemin's expression, he knows he won him over.

“Ah, so much for trying to play hard to get, huh?” he hears Jaemin mutter to himself and Jeno bites back a smile of his own, “I'd like that," Jaemin gets up from his seat and latches himself onto Jeno's side. He lets himself be cuddled.

They make their way towards the parking lot, Jeno fumbling with the pockets of his hoodie to find the car keys. Soon enough, they are settled inside of it, Jeno urging Jaemin to put on his seatbelt properly before Jaemin talks again.

"The fact that you can drive makes you at least ten times more attractive," Jeno rolls his eyes and continues to focus on the road.

"You are laying the bar real low for your standards on what’s attractive or not," he teases back. "I'm doing the bare minimum."

"I’m a simple man, Jeno, what can I say?” Jaemin says and Jeno laughs in disbelief.

Renjun’s college isn’t that far away from the company, and in less than twenty minutes they arrive.

Jeno’s initial plan was to pick up Renjun from his class, but Jaemin tells him that it isn’t a good idea. They’ll attract unwanted attention and now Jeno can see where the flaw in his plan was. Jaemin guides him to a secluded coffee shop just a block away from the campus and shoots Renjun a text, telling him that they are waiting for him in there.

Renjun gets there not five minutes later, cheeks flushed and hair mussed up. Jaemin’s smile is fond. Jeno’s heart melts a bit to the sight.

“Why did you rush here? I told you we’d wait for your class to finish,” Jaemin says, as Renjun settles down next to him. “ _Ayyy_ , were you eager to see us?” Jaemin teases, pinching his cheek and even though Renjun swats his hand away with a roll of his eyes, the flush in his cheeks gets a bit darker, betraying him.

“Class ended early,” he explains.

“How was it?” Jeno asks and the smile Renjun offers him is blinding.

“It was okay, we didn’t do much though,” Renjun replies. He is about to continue talking when one of the coffee shop workers ask them for their order. Soon after that, they fall into an easy conversation.

Renjun shows them pictures from the new piece he’s been working on, and both Jaemin and Jeno gush about how good it looks already. Renjun, a bit bashful, promises he can show him some more if he agrees to hang out with them again, and Jeno rapidly agrees, excited at the prospect of getting to meet them again.

Jaemin tells him about how he got scouted on campus, and Jeno can picture it. He can see Jaemin coming out of class on his way to grab some coffee, looking attractive enough to catch the eye of some company scout, offering him money beyond his wildest dreams.

“Why did you decide to accept the offer?” Jeno is curious. Jaemin was in his second year when it happened, halfway through his college year. If Jeno would have been on his position he might have rejected it.

Jaemin shrugs. “It was good money. Besides, I was majoring in acting, I thought modeling would be a great way to gain exposure.”

“He tried to balance studying and working at the same time, but his schedules started to get too crazy to handle and that’s when I advised him to either drop out or to put his career on hold,” Jeno leans forward on his seat at Renjun’s words. “Then I realized I had been a bit harsh on him by saying that.”

Jaemin’s eyes soften as he puts his arm around Renjun’s shoulder. “It might have been harsh but you were right. I felt like a zombie back then.” Jeno waits for Jaemin to continue, playing with the straw of his coffee. “I ended up dropping out as you can tell, but I still attend acting workshops whenever I’m free.”

“Have you ever thought of taking online classes?” Jeno inquires and Jaemin tips his head sideways, pondering.

“To be honest, no,” he denies. “But I am content as it is. I live comfortably and do something I have fun doing, so it is okay.”

“What about you, Jeno? Did you ever thought about doing something else?” Renjun asks. Jeno twirls the straw of his now finished coffee and lets himself think about it before replying.

“When I was in high school I really liked science-related subjects,” he leans back on his seat. “I might have majored in something like engineering if I had the option back then.”

He sees Renjun frown and Jeno rushes to reassure him that it is _okay_ , as Jaemin said, he’s content as it is.

They drop the topic, falling back again into mindless chattering as they finish their drinks and pastries. Soon enough, they find themselves back in Jeno’s car, Renjun calling shotgun and sitting on the passenger seat, leaving a sulking Jaemin to sit on the backseat.

Jeno drives them home, listening attentively to their directions toward their apartment building. When they arrive, Jeno parks and lets himself rest against his seat.

“I had fun today,” he says, sincerely.

Jaemin props his head on his seat, right next to Jeno’s shoulders and his breath hitches. He is so close, Jeno can smell his cologne. Renjun is observing them, a satisfied look on his face.

“Thank you for bringing us home,” Renjun opts to say, grabbing his backpack. Jaemin makes his way out of the car and Jeno watches through the rearview mirror as he makes way around the car, placing himself right next to Jeno’s door. He makes a confused sound as Jaemin knocks on his window, and Jeno opens it.

“This way we can both thank you better,” Jaemin says as he lurches forward, kissing Jeno’s left cheek, as Renjun deposits him a quick peck on his right cheek.

Jeno’s blush comes forth so strong, it makes him dizzy for a moment. Jaemin and Renjun have matching grins on their faces and Jeno hides his face in his hand.

Renjun’s laugh is so loud as he makes his way out of the car and that makes Jeno shrink further into himself.

Jeno sees them as they make their way towards the building’s entrance, a silly smile on his face.

He leans his head back against his seat and laughs at the absurdity of the situation.

He feels elated and oh, how he wishes he could bask on this feeling forever.

His photoshoot with Jaemin gathers so much attention that Jaehyun informs them they’ll be paired up for at least two more gigs for the time being. They’ll still have their own individual schedules, but as of now, they’ll give priority to the ones they’ll have together.

Renjun texts him about it, telling him how proud he is of Jaemin and him and that he can’t wait to see the result of their upcoming shoots. He also announces on the group chat that he’ll be making dinner for them as a congratulatory gift for their success. He makes sure to let Jeno know that if he doesn’t show up he’ll go and pick him up himself. Jeno sends a sticker of a cat laughing and assures him that he’ll be there.

He arrives at their building a bit earlier than expected.

He makes his way towards the elevator, bottle of wine in hand (the expensive kind, only the best for Jaemin and Renjun). When he gets to their apartment door, he knocks twice before the door flies open, revealing Renjun who makes a noise of surprise at seeing what Jeno has in his hands.

“I told you to not bring anything,” Renjun moans, opening the door wider, inviting Jeno in. He shrugs as he makes his way inside the apartment, making sure to pass Renjun the wine bottle before leaving his shoes at the entrance.

Once he gets back up, Renjun has disappeared into what he assumes is the kitchen and Jeno drinks in the sight of their apartment. It isn’t a big as his and Donghyuck’s, but it does feel and looks more lived in.

The smell of freshly made food is the first thing he notices. He doesn’t know what Renjun has prepared for them, but by smell alone, he can tell it’ll be delicious.

There are paintings and a string of polaroid pictures hanging from the walls. Jeno inspects them and notices that most of them are pictures of Renjun and Jaemin, hugging, kissing, sitting next to each other, even some selfies. One would think that the tug on his heart would be one of jealousy, but Jeno knows better, and he knows that it is one of longing. Of wishing, he was in those pictures too.

“Like what you see?” Renjun settles right next to him and Jeno straightens, looking down at him.

“Mmmm, very much,” he replies, honest. Maybe a little bold. Renjun hits his arm and Jeno can’t help but laugh at that. “Shy?” he asks.

“Shut up,” he mumbles and Jeno walks deeper into the apartment, eyeing a painting filled with vibrant colors, specks of gold resembling the outline of a boy. Jeno examines it deeper and he is in awe. It’s simple, but he can’t help to gravitate towards it.

“Did you paint this?” he asks, voice low. Renjun just looks at him, and Jeno grabs his hand, making Renjun stumble in front of him.

“I did. It’s one of the projects I finished recently,” Jeno looks at their hands, palms touching and he can’t help but feel a bit giddy. Renjun is small compared to him and even though he shouldn’t, because he knows Renjun can fend for himself just fine, he feels the need to protect him. To hold him in his arms forever.

“It’s really good. You are really talented,” Renjun mumbles a thank you before they hear the front door open, revealing Jaemin, hair slicked back, half-inch of makeup covering his face, his hoodie, and sweatpants a stark contrast from the rest of the look, letting Jeno know that he must have rushed back home from a schedule.

Jeno thinks that Renjun will let go of his hand at the sight of his boyfriend but he only cuddles more onto his side, and that eases his heart.

“If it isn’t my favorite boys,” Jaemin says, voice laced with undeniable fondness. “Couldn’t you wait for me? I want to cuddle too,” much to his lament, this does the trick and Renjun unlatches from his side.

“Nope, no cuddles for you until you take a shower,” Jaemin pouts, but makes his way inside his apartment, not before dropping a kiss in both Renjun and Jeno’s cheeks, hurriedly leaving towards the bathroom. Renjun sighs exasperatedly, and Jeno laughs.

“Can you help me serve the food?” Renjun asks and Jeno just nods, following him the way a puppy would follow its owner.

They work in comfortable silence. Jeno waiting for Renjun’s instructions, telling him where he can find certain objects, and sooner than later, the whole table is set.

Jeno grabs the wine he brought and Renjun insists that they shouldn’t drink since it’s a weekday and he has a meeting with his TA tomorrow morning and that he would rather show up sober than with a raging hangover. Jeno pouts, and Renjun caves in, making Jeno promise that they’ll only have one glass each before grabbing three glasses to serve the wine in them.

Jaemin soon joins them on the table, freshly out of the shower. His hair dripping wet and Renjun nags him for it, getting up to find a towel, handing it to Jaemin, making sure he dries his hair properly this time around.

The domesticity unfolding in front of him makes his heart feel whole. Sitting here, watching them interact makes him realize that both Renjun and Jaemin love each other deeply, the result of being friends for so long before being lovers.

Jeno often worries about that, feeling like an intruder into their relationship. He still doesn’t know where they stand; he just knows he enjoys their company. However, Renjun and Jaemin have made sure to express their interest in him every day, letting him know that they are glad to have him in their lives. That they want him in it too.

Dinner passes on a blur of laughing and chattering, mostly about how their days went.

Jaemin tells them about the shoot he had scheduled today, how the photographer kept asking him to do weird poses and how his body ended up being a bit sore after that. Jeno sympathizes with him. He has his fair amount of crazy stories to tell. Photographers asking him to do things he isn’t comfortable with.

There’s this one time he had an outdoor photoshoot and he remembers the photographer asking him to hang from a tree that looked rather fragile and to do some other kind of stunts that Jeno wasn’t prepared to perform. 

No matter how much he told him that he wasn’t comfortable with doing it, the photographer insisted that it would be quick and to get over it, that he wasn’t a baby and that he could do it. Doyoung, fed up with his attitude grabbed Jeno and brought him back to the office.

It’s safe to say that once Doyoung got a hold of the director of the company, his rage was unmatched for, demanding to get an apology from both him and the photographer for being disrespectful towards Jeno.

He tells them just that, reassuring them that after that the company has been more careful when choosing projects for him, making sure to do some research on whatever photographer they are working with, to assure he’ll be working with a decent person.

That doesn’t stop Renjun from launching into a rant about how shitty the entertainment industry is and how the situation Jeno was in shouldn’t have been a wake-up call for them to take their casting more seriously and with a more thoughtful approach.

After Renjun has calmed down enough, Jaemin starts clearing up the table. Jeno tries to help, Jaemin stopping him right away. He looks at Renjun as if asking him for help and he nudges his shoulder, instructing him to get up and help him take the rest of the plates to the kitchen.

They find Jaemin washing the dishes, scrubbing them diligently and Jeno settles down right next to him, ignoring the sharp look Jaemin sends him, and grabs a towel, drying the plates and pots, putting them on the countertop to be stored into their respective places later.

He feels Renjun stare on both of them and Jeno can’t help the words that come out of his mouth.

“Like what you see?” he teases him and Jaemin snickers next to him.

Renjun, bolder than what Jeno might have expected, comes up to stand between them, sneaking an arm around each of their waists, craning his neck to whisper in Jeno’s ear. “Mmmm, very much,” he mimics his words from earlier. Jeno shudders, not at his words but at Renjun’s hitting the shell of his ear, which Jeno feels heat up, probably an embarrassing shade of red to the other boys’ delight.

They finish tidying everything up, Renjun helping them by putting the clean dishes where they belong.

It’s getting late and Jeno should leave, but that doesn’t stop him from plopping down on the couch when Jaemin pulls him down onto it, falling next to Jaemin. Renjun joins them soon enough, sitting on the other side of the couch, next to Jeno.

Here, on the silence of the living room, heart feeling as full as his stomach, Jaemin resting his head on his shoulder, and Renjun cuddling on the other side, he feels at home. So incredibly warm.

Jeno has just gotten home from the grocery store, after deciding he should stock up the fridge and shelves of the kitchen with nutritious food.

He knows Donghyuck tends to eat his stress away and his upcoming thesis presentation has worked like a charm to get him to eat endless amounts of junk food.

Donghyuck will complain after all of his stress-induced haze has passed about gaining weight and beg Jeno to let him tag along to his pilates sessions; only to start complaining about it two days later claiming his body is so sore that he can’t even breathe and Jeno, although patient and knowing of his best friend’s antics, would like to break the cycle.

Once he is done putting everything into place, Donghyuck surfaces from his room, and in all honesty, his face has seen better days. He looks even a bit pale, and Jeno’s heart wrenches at the sight.

“The bear is out of the cave, everyone,” Jeno says wholeheartedly and Donghyuck just groans as he settles on one of the kitchen stools, hand raking through his hair.

Jeno, feeling sympathetic and sits next to him, wrapping a hand around his shoulder, bringing Donghyuck’s head towards his chest. Donghyuck lets himself be pulled, going limp, letting Jeno catch the full weight of his body.

“Do you want me to prepare you something to eat?” Jeno asks, voice soft. Donghyuck shakes his head no.

“This is good,” Donghyuck mumbles and he is so peaceful that Jeno fears he might fall asleep right then and there. He looks down to peek at Donghyuck, but he’s just staring into space. Poor thing, he must be so tired.

“I think you should sleep for a little bit," Donghyuck whines, but still lets himself get manhandled by Jeno, who tries to get him to walk towards bedroom and Donghyuck just complains about not wanting to see his room’s wall for at least a year.

Jeno snorts at that but still complies and makes his way towards his own bedroom, dropping Donghyuck on his bed unceremoniously. Donghyuck shoots him a glare but Jeno doesn’t feel intimidated by it, as Donghyuck’s eyes are puffy and bleary with sleep. Jeno just makes sure to tuck him in, ruffling his hair as he makes his way out of the room.

He knows Donghyuck will most likely, sleep like the dead, so he makes sure to put an alarm to remind himself to wake him up in a few hours, giving him enough time to rest before dinner.

Quietly, Jeno tidies the apartment. Especially Donghyuck’s bedroom that looks as if it fell victim of a raid. He makes the bed, picks up some papers from the floor, and drops them on Donghyuck’s desk. He saves the document that contains Donghyuck’s thesis, double-checking that he saved the last few changes Donghyuck could have made in the last few hours.

Deeming that the room is put together, he closes the door and leaves to the kitchen.

He is debating what he should cook for dinner when he hears some knocking coming from the front door. As far as he knows, neither he or Donghyuck are expecting any guests. He opens the door and finds a sheepish Yukhei with his hands full of bags and he suppresses the urge to laugh.

Jeno lets him in and closes the door, following Yukhei into the kitchen.

This isn’t the first time he has done this. Yukhei also knows how Donghyuck tends to forget to take care of himself whenever he is focused on something.

“Sorry to break it out to you, but Donghyuck is sleeping,” he says as he sees Yukhei emptying out the contents of one of the bags. Jeno’s eyes widen when he notices the number of snacks that Yukhei brought and makes a mental note of hiding them as soon as Yukhei leaves, otherwise, Donghyuck will eat them all within an hour.

“I figured,” Yukhei says, unbothered. “He hasn’t replied to my texts since yesterday,” this time, the boy’s entire frame deflates a bit and Jeno feels a bit of pity.

The silence between them is comfortable, as Jeno goes out to help Yukhei put the groceries away.

“Donghyuck is sleeping in my room. You can either go in there and cuddle him or you can wait for him here with me,” Jeno says, figuring out that he should start on dinner soon.

“Nah man, I’ll let him rest,” Yukhei says while fixing his jacket. “I just wanted to make sure he was resting and eating properly, but knowing you are here to look over him gives me some peace of mind.”

“I think it would be good for him to take some time off after sleeping. Why don’t you stay for dinner?” Jeno offers and Yukhei smiles at that, nodding in acceptance as he settles on one of the kitchen’s stools. Jeno is glad to have some company.

Yukhei is a good guy, albeit a bit too enthusiastic from time to time, but a good guy still.

Jeno starts taking out the ingredients for dinner, chopping off some vegetables to grill them. He knows Donghyuck hates them, but maybe having Yukhei around for dinner will appease him and he’ll eat them without making a fuss.

“Donghyuck told me you’ve been talking to Jaemin and Renjun a lot lately,” Jeno feels his blood rushing up to his ears at the mention of the boys’ names. He makes his way towards the refrigerator, taking out two sets of beef that Yukhei brought, putting them on the countertop, looking at Yukhei before replying.

“Yeah, they are quite _nice_ ,” he says, voice laced with awkwardness and Jeno winces at that, making Yukhei laugh at him.

“Is that what you call the people you like?” Yukhei’s voice still contains hints of amusement and Jeno might be regretting letting him stay for dinner. “I’ll start referring to Donghyuck as the boy I think is rather neat.” Jeno throws a towel in the general direction of where Yukhei is sitting, hoping it hits him in the face. Sadly, Jeno’s aim is rather weak, and it ends up landing somewhere in the living room.

Yukhei gets up from where he is sitting to pick it up, returning it to where it belongs. He settles himself next to Jeno, watching him chop the meat away.

“How are you so sure that I like them?” Jeno asks, circling Yukhei to turn on the stove, placing a pan on the fire, letting it heat correctly before he dumps anything in it.

“Your reaction gave it away,” Yukhei shrugs, stealing a piece of carrot and Jeno just sighs. “Why do you look so troubled about it?”

Jeno gives himself some time to think about it.

He knows that his feelings are reciprocated by them, that bit has been clear as water ever since the first time they met.

But Jeno can’t help and fear what might happen if they change their current dynamics.

“Their relationship is pretty solid as it is,” Jeno starts, choosing his words carefully. “I wouldn’t like it we all got together and… I don’t know,” he heaves a sigh, biting his lip. “I wouldn’t be able to live in peace if I happened to be the reason they break apart.”

Yukhei helps him by putting the vegetables on the grill, not averting his eyes from it, making sure they don’t burn. “Why would you be the reason they break up when you are the reason they got together in the first place?”

Jeno lets out a sound that screams confusion. “How comes?” he asks, feeling, and now knowing, he’s been missing some key information.

 _“You didn’t know?”_ Yukhei’s voice raises its pitch and Jeno looks at him, waiting for him to continue. “Oh shit, I’d say that I die like a man and spill, but Renjun will have my head if I do," Jeno tries his best, giving Yukhei the look he uses on Doyoung whenever he wants something. Sadly, Yukhei doesn't even budge. "It really isn’t my story to tell.”

Jeno’s brain is about to go into haywire trying to deduce what Yukhei could have meant with that. “Yukhei,” he whines, desperate times calling for desperate measures, not caring about looking or sounding ridiculous anymore, “You can’t just leave me in the dark about this.”

“But I will,” Yukhei says, voice firm. “I think you should ask them, not me."

Jeno’s shoulders slump down and he breathes, letting out a sigh that he didn’t know he was holding. He focuses on cooking, not wanting to delve any further into the matter.

He assumes that what Yukhei isn't necessarily a bad thing. He could go as far as saying that it feels like some kind of reassurance. That the other boys are as invested as him in whatever their relationship is at the moment.

What he doesn't like, is the fact that this thing Yukhei knows seems to be an open secret and the only one who has yet to find is him and only him.

He guesses there is no point in crying over spilled milk and focuses on finishing the food, Yukhei making sure to distract him with random stories and anecdotes to make him laugh.

Jeno hates to admit that it works.

Later that day, right before going to bed, he concludes there is no need to drag things out longer.

So he texts the group chat, hoping for the best.

**me (11:48 pm)**

I think we should talk

**jaemin (11:48 pm)**

right now? :o

**renjun (11:49 pm)**

are you okay?

**me (11:49 pm)**

yeah

I think so

yukhei told me something earlier and it's been bugging me ever since

it isn’t necessarily a bad thing tho

**jaemin (11:51 pm)**

are you sure? we can call you if that’s what you need

**me (11:52 pm)**

I think it would be better if we talked about it in person

**renjun (11:53 pm)**

oh?

yeah sure

you can come over tomorrow

are you busy?

**me (11:54 pm)**

i think i should be free by evening

i’ll let you guys know

see you tomorrow

goodnight :)

**jaemin (11:55 pm)**

goodnight jeno (°◡°♡) sweet dreams!!!

**renjun (11:56 pm)**

god jaem those are so ugly

goodnight <3

**jaemin (11:57 pm)**

(︶︹︺)

Jeno ends up getting held back at the shooting site until late in the evening.

He forfeits going home to get freshen up, asking Doyoung to drop him off at Jaemin and Renjun’s apartment once he is done. Doyoung eyes him curiously from time to time, but he doesn’t make any questions.

Jeno texts the group chat, informing that he will arrive soon and he gets not one, but two heart emoticons back.

Much to his surprise, he finds Renjun at the building’s entrance, Jeno rushes to where he is. Renjun greets him cheerily, explaining that he and Jaemin ate earlier so he decided to go to the Chinese restaurant down the block to pick Jeno’s favorite so he would have something to eat after the long day he’s had.

“Thank you, Renjun” he truly is grateful, he’s starving. Jeno picks up the bag from Renjun’s hand getting a protest in return but Jeno can’t bring himself to care.

The ride on the elevator is silent. Once they get to their floor, he finds that the door to the apartment is open, Jaemin hiding his body behind it, grinning at them in a silly way. Renjun just sighs and makes his way into the apartment, not sparing him a second glance.

Jeno is not that heartless so he opts to ruffle Jaemin’s hair as he enters and he gets a kiss blown his way. 

Jeno tries his best to _not_ let it fluster him but Jaemin knows best, poking his side, earning a wince from Jeno.

Renjun asks Jeno if he is going to eat right away but he shakes his head, assuring that he’ll eat later. Instead, he asks them to sit down on the couch, Jeno sitting on the floor, facing them.

“Are you sure you are okay?” Renjun asks as he plops himself next to Jaemin and Jeno nods.

He breathes in deeply and decides to just go for it. To let his heart do the talking for once.

“I like you. Both of you,” he starts. “I think I have liked you ever since I first laid my eyes on you.” Jeno feels himself shake, and he knows there’s a tremble in his voice. He absolutely _hates_ feeling so vulnerable. “But I am so incredibly scared to do something about it. Not because I doubt of my feelings towards any of you — but because I am scared of what might happen between you if you let me in,” he confesses, and even though the pressure in his chest eases a little, he can’t bring himself to lift his eyes and look at the other boys’ reaction.

He doesn’t have to, because soon enough, Renjun is sitting right in front of him, cradling his face in his hands, forcing him to look at him. Renjun’s voice is close to a whisper. “Why would you feel like that, Jeno? If anything, you are the puzzle piece that completes _us_.”

Yukhei’s words resonate in his head and before even thinking of shutting up, Jeno blurts out. “Yukhei said I am the reason you guys got together,” and Jeno can’t make this shit up, because both Renjun and Jaemin start laughing so hard that it startles Jeno. He’s left to wait for them to calm down, confused to the very core.

Jaemin goes to kneel down next to them and apologizes before saying. “He’s not entirely wrong about that.” That doesn’t help Jeno understand anything and Jaemin continues. “Renjun should be the one saying this, not me.”

Renjun flushes so hard that Jeno has to pretend he doesn’t see it. Otherwise, he’ll start cooing and that wouldn’t be very appropriate for the situation. Renjun sits back on his heels and breathes in deeply before talking.

“Remember when I told you that we all went to school together?” Jeno nods. “I’ve had a crush on you ever since then.” Jeno’s eyes widen and Renjun laughs softly at his reaction. “Jaemin always knew about and supported it, until one day it started rubbing off on him.” Jaemin rolls his eyes next to him and Renjun looks so smooth about it.

“Point is, I ended liking you too back and you know… we spent a lot of time together and ended up liking each other as well.” Jaemin rubs Jeno’s arm and surprisingly, it soothes him. “That’s why we say you are the reason why we are together.” Jaemin ends his explanation with a smile and Jeno feels lighter.

“However,” Renjun settles next to him, dropping his head on his shoulder, “Years passed and said crush got a bit muted; it turned into something more similar to admiration than anything. I would stream the shows you were in, check out magazines whenever I knew you were going to feature in them. We knew the chances of getting to meet you grew slimmer until Yukhei met Donghyuck. God, this is embarrassing but Donghyuck offered to be our wingman for so long, and we always refused. We thought that if we would ever get to reunite again it would be because fate wanted it that way, not because someone else intervened.” Jaemin and Renjun share a look and even if Jeno isn’t the one baring his soul, shudders at the raw sincerity of Renjun’s words.

“Then Jaemin got the offer to work with you and our feelings for you became stronger because we knew this was the chance to make things right,” Renjun’s voice comes out a bit shaky and continues. “God, I remember when Jaem found out, he called me right away to tell me and the first thing I said was that there was no way I could let you go right now, that we couldn’t let the opportunity to bring you into our lives go but we really didn’t have to. You came to us so easily, making yourself at home in every aspect of our lives.”

Jeno feels like crying out of happiness right now, but he fights it and opts for hugging both of them, making sure to deposit a kiss on both of their temples. “You make me so happy,” his voice comes out airly. This is already way more than he was expecting. His heart feels as if is brimming with affection, close to bursting at the seams.

They let go of each other and he just knows that he has a goofy smile on his face. Jaemin leans close to him. “You make us the happiest, pretty boy,” he says. “But I think things would be even better if you were our boyfriend.”

Jeno’s jaw drops, but then he whines, remembering something. “I wanted to be the one asking you guys!” he complains loudly and Renjun just pats his head.

“Not a chance,” Renjun retorts. “You didn’t even answer Jaemin’s question. Are you going to break our hearts after that speech?”

“I think the answer is pretty clear,” Jeno says, teasing them further and Jaemin latches himself onto his arm.

“But we want to hear you say it, come on,” Jaemin says, voice coy and Jeno blushes.

“I would love to be your boyfriend,” he finally complies and soon enough, he has an armful of Renjun and Jaemin.

“That’s more like it,” Renjun must lean forward first, Jeno already doesn’t know. His mind goes hazy the moment Renjun’s lips touch his, and it’s all heat from there, traveling to the tips of his fingers as his hand raises to cup Renjun’s cheek.

Renjun kisses him back slowly, hands coming up to fist the front of Jeno’s shirt, bringing him closer to him. It’s so warm, and it only gets warmer as he feels Jaemin deposit feathery kisses all over the expanse of his nape. Jeno lets go of Renjun’s mouth and he feels breathless. Renjun is pretty on a daily basis, but he looks even prettier when his lips are plump and red from kissing.

Jaemin turns his head, hand on his chin, and Jeno is greeted by the wolfish smile Jaemin sports on his lips.

Like a moth attracted to flame, he presses his lips to Jaemin’s lips. Renjun kissed him with so much tenderness, but Jaemin? Jaemin kisses like he’s got something to prove. Hard, open-mouthed, bringing him so close to his body that Jeno can’t do anything but let himself be swayed into the fire that Jaemin’s mouth is.

He feels Renjun get up from where he is sitting and Jeno whines into Jaemin’s mouth, blindly reaching for Renjun’s leg pant, making him stop in his tracks. Jaemin lets go of him and Jeno feels his face burn with embarrassment.

Renjun crouches back down and waits for Jeno to explain what’s going on.

“Don’t go,” Jeno says, sounding a bit petulant. “I want to kiss you again.”

That elicits a laugh from Jaemin, who leans in close to his ear. “Is baby eager?” Jeno is flabbergasted, and he pushes Jaemin away from him, getting up from the floor to save himself some of the embarrassment he is feeling.

He feels Renjun hugging from behind and he melts into his chest. “You’ve got to eat first, we can kiss and cuddle all you want later.”

“We’ve got all the time on the world now,” Jaemin offers, perching his head on his other shoulder. Jeno hums, agreeing with him.

They soon let go of each other, Renjun making his way towards the kitchen, Jaemin trailing after him, presumably to help him and Jeno lands his arms on the countertop watching them move as one, feeling all kinds of good.

They have forever now. Jeno can’t wait to see what’s to come.

As long as he gets to have them around, he’ll always have a place to call home.

**Author's Note:**

> the photoshoot shoot looks are based on kim seoryong's designs, check them [out!](https://kimseoryong.com/boardPost/117872/14) :)
> 
> you can find me over [here!](https://twitter.com/375PERCENT) let's be friends (.◜◡◝)


End file.
